The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a universal coupling member for coupling a driving member to a driven member. The coupling member is made of fiber compound material, the fibers of which are wound with a thread angle of about .+-.45.degree. with reference to the central axis of the shaft. The invention also relates to a driving shaft manufactured according to this method.
It is necessary, in instances of transmitting driving torques over larger distances by means of an arrangement of shafts, to integrate components in this shaft system, which components permit a compensating for angular changes and length changes. This is currently done generally by the use of so-called Bendix disc clutches, Hardy couplings or clutches and the like. A large number of suggestions have been made for this purpose. However, all prior solutions have the disadvantage, that, first they require many individual components and second, they are not maintenance free. The connecting members have to be routinely checked. Special constructions and shapes of the coupling member are required, depending on the occurring of the effective forces, to provide a torsionally rigid connection of two shafts which are not exactly axially aligned. Examples of such constructions are shown by the German Patent Publication DE-OS No. 2,422,181 illustrating a bellows-type coupling, or by the German Patent Publication DE-OS No. 2,435,450 illustrating radially slotted round bodies as coupling members. Apart from the number of structural parts required, most of the embodiments included in the prior art also have considerable weight.
The German Patent Publication DE-OS No. 2,237,775 suggested, in order to avoid this weight, to wind a power transmitting member with fiber reinforced material with a thread angle of .+-.45.degree. with reference to the central axis of the structural component which is subjected to tension, pressure, and/or torsion loads. Such a structure is, however, only suitable for very special purposes.